Mittelt sat lazily on a pew, legs swinging over the edge. They've been here for nearly a week, and Raynare's little scheme was taking forever to finish. That excommunicated nun wasn't even here yet.
Wasn't she supposed to arrive today? Who was even going to pick her up?
Mittelt blew a sigh, tugging idly at the ribbon on her dress.
Why did she even have to 'keep watch'? They had those exorcists around, who just sat all day playing cards in the basement or whatever the heck they did. Why even bring them here? For furniture? Who was even going to attack this place? The Devils didn't have the guts.
She'd have an easier time believing that Raynare just wanted a bunch of minions to order around.
Another sigh escaped her.
At least she had some entertainme—
The front doors abruptly swung open with a loud thud, and she nearly fell off her pew in surprise.
What the heck?!
Did people not know how to knock anymo—
A bald guy decked in a white tshirt and grey sweatpants strutted inside like he owned the place, one large, brown sack over each shoulder, and a blonde girl following a few paces behind.
Oho? A visitor?
His face was kinda plain, but that shirt looked like it was painted on him, the muscles on his arms and chest straining against the fabric as he slowly lowered his bags to the floor.
Yum.
He didn't feel like a Devil, though… actually, he didn't feel like anything supernatural at all. Kinda weird for a normie to suddenly show up all the way here.
Her eyes lingered on the blonde girl following a pace behind, a burlap sack slung over her shoulder. Her brows climbed up a fraction at the unmistakable aura. A vampire, huh?
Her mouth quirked with a smile. This could be fun.
She hopped off her pew, the sound of her footfalls drawing the newcomers' attention.
"Hey there, big guy." She waved a hand in greeting as those two came to a stop, the guy dropping his bag with a clink of metal. Coins? "What brings you here?
The guy flashed her a small, easygoing smile, though his intense gaze felt like it was piercing right through her. A shiver climbed up her back, yet part of her couldn't help but preen.
She pulled her shoulders back a little and gave him a wink as his eyes lingered on her chest.
It wasn't exactly thrilling being the only girl with a normal bust among cow sized tits, but moments like these reminded her that she had her own charm.
"Hey. I know this is sudden, but I'm—
"The fuck's going on here?" A loud, familiar voice filled the room as Freed showed up from behind the altar, nearly making her jump. "Can't a friendly neighborhood papist even spray his holy water in peace anymore?"
An unladylike snort escaped her. How the heck did he even come up with this stuff?
"Yo." Baldy raised a hand in greeting, smile still on his face. "Is your boss in here?"
She blinked. Wait, he was looking for Raynare? What for?
"Don't you 'yo' me." Freed jabbed a finger at the guy. "Who the fuck are you, baldy? This church ain't open for visitors, unless you're here to confess a sin." He wagged his finger playfully with a smirk "In which case, I'll hafta—
Freed's eyebrows shot up as he finally seemed to notice the blonde vampire, checking her out for a moment before his smile widened.
"Oya? What's this? A cute little creature of darkness has come into my parlor? Been a while since I've baptized one of these."
The girl didn't react beyond just giving Freed a cold, impassive stare, but Baldy's eyes narrowed, his playful tone becoming frigid.
"Dude."
Her eyes briefly flicked to the vampire chick, a frown tugging at her lips. Must be nice having a strong guy care about her like that.
"What? She's your girl?" Freed giggled. "You gotta learn to share, like big J shared his bread with the poor and the needy," he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "We can spitroast her if you want. It ain't gay if the balls ain't touching. Dibs on the pussy, though. I don't like dipping in another guy's cream."
A pin-drop silence filled the church, and she waited with baited breath.
Uh-oh. Of all the times to fail that charisma check…
The air around the bald guy abruptly shifted, turning from goofy to something that made the hair rise on her neck and her instincts scream. For a moment, she lost sight of him as he blurred forward, appearing right in front of Freed, one hand raised and face carved from stone, looming like a specter of death.
Eyes uncharacteristically wide, Freed only had time to drag himself back a few inches before the hand struck him squarely in the face with the mother of all bitchslaps. The sound of the impact echoed throughout the church, rattling the glass, as Freed's head popped like a ripe fruit, splattering the wall behind.
The headless body fell to the floor with a thud, and she couldn't help but stare, mouth slightly agape.
Woah… she'd never seen that happen outside of movies before.
Was that tōki—but there was no aura thingy?
She swallowed, suddenly aware of how dry her mouth felt.
Just how strong was this guy?
She didn't even twitch a muscle as Baldy pulled out some tissues to wipe the blood off his hand. She really hoped this wouldn't end up with a fight. Freed might've been the squishiest in their group, but if this guy could take as hard as he dished…
A shiver crawled up her spine, and she felt goosebumps spread over her skin. Though as the guy just kept standing there, watching her idly without even a trace of hostility, some tension seeped out of her frame.
She glanced at the headless corpse and the small pool of blood spreading around it, a tiny frown pulling at her lips.
Poor Freed. He was kind of an asshole, but he could be pretty funny. She'd miss those Shakespeare worthy speeches of his.
"To be fair, I did warn him." Baldy finally spoke, and she glared at him, sighing as her frown deepened.
Too bad that Freed wasn't really the type to heed warnings.
"Did you really have to kill him, though? He might've been a jackass, but he was way too funny. Who's gonna make me laugh now?"
The guy pursed his lips, looking a little contrite, and she felt her brow climb up a fraction. Woah… A super strong dude with a hint of remorse? Who was this unicorn, and where could she get one?
"Sorry, Mittelt, but I have a rule. Talk shit about my friend and you get punched."
He got slapped, tho—
She blinked, brows furrowing a fraction. "Wait, how do you even know my na—
"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here." The low, nearly menacing voice of her boss rang throughout the quiet church as she strutted out from a side hallway, with Kalawarna not even two steps behind.
Mittelt opened her mouth, only to close it after a moment as she better thought about it. She didn't feel like explaining any of this. It was Baldy's fault. He could deal with it.
Raynare leveled her a glare, only to halt mid-step when she finally spotted the corpse and puddle of blood on the aisle between the pews. Her eyes narrowed, posture going rigid and hand twitching, as if ready to grip a light spear.
Mittelt held back a laugh. Fat chance. She'd probably get folded, too. Of course, if Baldy wasn't too busy staring at her tits… which he was already doing, ogling Raynare like a piece of rare meat.
Mittelt rolled her eyes. Typical.
Sometimes, that stripper outfit worked like a decent distraction, but most of the time it just annoyed her with how her boss hogged all the attention.
Kalawarna lingered behind Raynare, not looking particularly sad at Freed's abrupt and unfortunate demise, merely keeping a wary eye on Baldy, but her boss seemed to take some offense.
"Did you do that?" Raynare glared at Baldy, a cautious edge in her voice, but the guy merely shrugged.
"He had it coming."
Well, he kinda did, but still…
"What."
Raynare's hand twitched again, the look on her face one step away from murder, and Mittelt sent a brief, subtle glance at the entrance, wings ready to unfurl with a simple flex. She should be able to fly right out if her boss did something stupid.
"I didn't come here to fight any of you."
Eyes flicking once more to the corpse, Mittelt chose to take that with a grain of salt.
"Yet you just killed one of my men." A pink light spear suddenly formed in Raynare's grip, and Baldy sighed deeply.
"Alright, listen here, Raynare. I—
Raynare's nostrils flared, jaw clenching tightly. "Do not speak my name so casual—
The air around him shifted once more, and she couldn't help the shiver that suddenly crawled down her spine.
Even in the dim light, Raynare's face turned a shade paler as her eyes widened, words dying in her throat.
Even Kalawarna seemed rooted on the spot, wide-eyed, with pupils like two pinpricks.
What the heck was that?
"Right now, I talk, and you listen. Got it?"
Despite the hair bristling on her nape and the goosebumps breaking all over her skin, Mittelt swallowed dryly, suddenly aware of the heat pooling in her stomach.
This guy did not mince words at all.
"Fine." Raynare ground out through gritted teeth, the slightest of shakes in her hand as her weapon vanished into motes of light.
"Good." Baldy smiled, and suddenly, that terrifying presence stopped squeezing at her chest.
Mittelt took a slow, calming breath, not letting Baldy out of sight as he lazily gestured at a nearby pew before grabbing his large bag and taking a seat alongside the blonde vampire.
"So, here's the thing. I know what you've been up to—
"Really? That's your angle?" Raynare sneered, but her condescending look only further amused him. "You really think that I—
"And I know about that giant, fancy cross in your basement."
Her boss stopped as if slapped.
A beat of tense, uneasy silence passed before Raynare's jaw tightened as she spoke through clenched teeth. "How?"
Mittelt pursed her lips. The heck was going on here? Didn't Raynare say that nobody saw her take the Artifact?
She wasn't sure how Baldy even learned about it, but going by the wide-eyed look on Kalawarna's face, she probably had an idea.
"I happen to know a few things, but that's beside the point." He fixed each of them with a stern look. "The point is that you've been playing with fire the entire time." His eyes lingered on Raynare, this time not on her fat tits, but simply holding her nasty glare. "And your great plan was going to backfire spectacularly and get you all killed."
"Nonsense," her boss hissed, fists clenched at her sides. "I would've made it work."
"Believe what you want." He gestured dismissively with a hand, that goofy air from before returning around him. "But for real, you either stop with this nonsense, or I'm calling Azazel."
Mittelt blinked, brows climbing up her forehead. "Wait, you have the boss man's number?"
It kinda made sense now, tho. Maybe it was Lord Azazel who sent him?
"Yes," he said nonchalantly, to which Raynare scoffed in her typical condescending bitch way.
"You're bluffing." Bluffing? Really?
Baldy had them at his mercy. He wouldn't have to bluff anything.
Case in point, he just smiled at Raynare, not giving a shit about her murderous glare. "I came through your front door and splattered your strongest exorcist all over the floor." He pointed a thumb lazily at Freed's corpse. "Do you really wanna test me right now?"
Scowl deepening, Raynare ground her teeth. "Years. I've waited years for this chance, and you're telling me to just give up? Who the hell do you think you are?"
Despite the tense atmosphere, Mittelt felt a smile pulling at her lips. It's been a while since she saw RayRay get so pissed at someone. This was actually pretty funny.
"I'm Alex—
She couldn't help the snort. Maybe she wouldn't miss Freed's clever quips that much after all.
Three pairs of eyes shifted to her, and she just flashed a cheeky grin in return, getting a brief shake of head from Kalawarna and crooked smirk from Baldy.
For a brief moment, Raynare looked like she might pop a vein, nostrils flaring and jaw clenched so tight it probably hurt. Mittelt bit the inside of her cheek to suppress a laugh while Baldy also eyed her boss in amusement.
—and you already messed up by getting the Gremory brat's attention."
Wait, what.
"Are you planning to do an even bigger fuck up?"
Despite the anger twisting her face, Raynare went quiet, mouth drawing a tense line.
Mittelt glanced between her unusually quiet boss and Baldy.
What the heck? She'd said the Devils wouldn't give a shit about a dead brat. Did their dumbass of a leader actually get them all in trouble?
Raynare opened her mouth, only to close it just as fast, hesitating for a moment. "Did Lord Azazel send you to check on us?"
Mittelt felt a chill creep up her back at the thought. She hoped not. She didn't want to get demoted to the cannon fodder legion.
Much to her relief, Baldy shook his head.
"No. He actually trusts you to not colossally fuck up. I'm here because I was passing by and figured I could pay you a little visit, you know, just to make sure you wouldn't do anything stupid and get yourself killed."
Saywhat.
She chewed at her lip, brow furrowed. What the heck was this guy's angle?
"Why?" Raynare asked, gaze narrowed, carefully studying Baldy's face.
"I just felt like it." He gestured flippantly with a hand, and Raynare just stared at him for a quiet moment, brow creasing ever so slightly, probably overthinking things as usual.
It was the privilege of the strong to do whatever the heck they wanted on a whim.
"What?" Baldy gave them a flat look. "You expected some grand motive or hidden agenda?" He shook his head. "Sorry to disappoint, but that's not my style." He shared a brief, knowing look with the blondie at his side, whose Kalawarna-grade poker-face slipped for a moment as the corner of her mouth twitched with the ghost of a smile.
Oho? A mysterious backstory?
Arms crossed, Kala propped herself against the pew behind her, looking like she gave up with this discussion.
Raynare seemed to be oddly invested, though. "I don't remember seeing you around Grigori, even in passing," she said, face uncharacteristically serious. "Who exactly are you?"
Mittelt blinked. Now that she thought about it, this guy seemed to know all this stuff about them, but she didn't remember even hearing about an 'Alex'.
"Yeah, who the heck are you, Baldy?" She pointed a finger at him. "Did you just crawl from under a rock or something?"
"You could say that." He spread his arms in a welcoming gesture, mouth quirking in amusement. "I'm Alexander, the current wielder of the Sephiroth Grail." Then he gestured at the blonde chick at his side. "And this is my cute vampire friend, Valerie."
Pin-drop silence followed as the vamp nodded curtly, a tiny smile coming to her stoic face.
Mittelt picked up her jaw, staring at Baldy as she shook her head in disbelief.
Holy shit…
That explained so much…
__________________________________________
I bit the inside of my mouth, doing my best to hold back a laugh as three pairs of eyes stared at me in various degrees of shock. Mittelt seemed to have trouble picking up her jaw, Kalawarna's stoic façade finally slipped a little to show some surprise, and even the haughty and bitchy Raynare could only stare wide-eyed and mouth agape.
Yeah, that's about the reaction I expected.
I caught a subtle, side-eyed glance from Valerie, and simply met it with a tiny smile. I was a man of my word. She wouldn't have to worry anymore. I'd keep her safe, even if I had to punch the motherfucking Trihexa in the face.
Raynare was the first to break the silence, her voice barely above a whisper and full of disbelief. "You have the Sephiroth Graal?"
A shame I couldn't take a picture of her flabbergasted face, but I wasn't going to risk my phone even for a Raynare wallpaper. I had stuff in there that did not even exist in this godforsaken world. Things I needed to back-up asap, now that I finally got out of the boonies.
I draped an arm atop the backrest, lifting a brow as I looked the inhumanly beautiful bitch in the eye. "Did I stutter?"
We had a brief staring contest, her lips twitching with the ghost of a sneer before they curled into a frown.
"That's not a claim to make lightly. Can you show us some proof?"
I almost failed to hold back a snort. Now she was asking politely? Cute.
"Do you really think a human could become as strong as me without any drop of holy power or tōki?" My gaze flicked to Valerie, who was watching the three Fallen chicks rather intently, and flashed her a reassuring smile. "And do you think that vampires can normally walk in the sun?"
From what Valerie told me on our magical ride to Kuō, vampires and dhampirs gave off nearly identical supernatural vibes, so the average shmuck couldn't tell them apart by aura alone.
Raynare sent Mittelt a questioning look, the blonde jailbait merely shrugging. "Didn't even see him move."
Huh. I moved that fast?
Brow creasing, her gaze shifted to Kalawarna, who gave a slight shake of her head. "I can't sense anything unusual from him either."
I felt my mouth curl smugly. I didn't come here with much of a plan, nor hopes raised too high, but I was winging it like a boss.
Mouth drawing a thoughtful line, Raynare crossed her arms under her bust, those perky marshmallows somehow not popping out of that flimsy bikini top.
Had to be magic.
I looked away a second too late, catching the brief, knowing smirk on her lips, before her eyes flicked to Valerie, narrowing slightly.
"She could be a dhampir."
I felt Valerie's leg brush slightly against my own, but didn't worry. I had faith in her top tier pokerface to not give us away.
"And I could be a demigod." I fixed Raynare with a flat look, getting a frown from her as Mittelt huffed in amusement.
"He's got a point. I dunno what else could explain that crazy speed and strength from earlier." The petite Fallen shrugged. "And besides, no one's dumb enough to lie about having a Longinus, let alone the friggin' Holy Grail. There are easier ways to die."
Trying my best not to laugh, I just watched them, smiling faintly as Kalawarna nodded along while Raynare seemed thoughtful. Screwing with the supernatural was pretty fun.
"Assuming that I believe you, why would you even reveal this to us?"
"Because you asked who I was?"
Another quiet huff came from Mittelt, but Raynare ignored the cheeky brat, her brow furrowing in another wallpaper worthy face. "That's it?"
I met her look of disbelief with a lazy shrug. "You're thinking about this too hard."
She eyed me for a long, quiet moment, lips drawn tightly. "Are you stupid?"
Kalawarna tensed subtly, looking warily between Raynare and I, but I merely propped my face on my hand, mouth quirking in amusement. "Do you really want me to answer that?"
A muffled giggle reached my ears as I weathered Raynare's pointed glare. A moment later, she clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Whatever," she said, her glare shifting to the blonde jailbait. "Mind telling me what's so funny, Mittelt?" There was a subtle edge in her tone, though it did little to wipe the smile off the girl's face.
"This whole situation?"
A beat of silence passed as Raynare's eyes narrowed, her mouth tensing, but before it could escalate any further, the blue haired bombshell spoke up, citrine eyes studying me curiously.
"So, you came here just to stop us?" Her gaze briefly went to the modern art piece on floor, brow creasing slightly. "Because it would have gotten us killed?"
"Mm-hmm."
"And you don't want anything else from us?"
"Not really."
She crossed her arms, pushing up her bust, high enough above the lapels to expose a hint of tantalizing pink. "I see."
Me too. Definitely.
I did my best to keep my eyes from straying, switching my attention back to Raynare, who still had that displeased frown on her face. As I kept looking at her, though, a slight pang tightened in my chest.
Yeah, I should've thought about this a little better…
Maybe I only felt like this because she was hot, but I still kinda acted like an asshole here. I knew how hard it was for fodder to get their hands on some tangible power in this world, and I just waltzed in and told them to stop or else.
She must've worked hard to set up this whole clusterfuck, dumb as it wa—
"What?" Raynare's sharp voice cut through my musings, her frown deepening as she looked me in the eye challengingly.
Kinda hot.
I exhaled quietly, lips pursed. "Say, when is that nun arriving?" I couldn't really take her away with me—one cute blonde was plenty of commitment already, and I'd never had to take care of anything more than a pet so far—but, for now, I only had to make sure that she wouldn't die.
Raynare blinked, taken aback for a second, before she let out a scoff, gaze narrowing. "Of course you also know about that."
The other two Fallen were also looking at me intently.
"I told you I know a few things."
"But not when the nun is arriving?" Kalawarna smirked, a teasing lilt to her voice as I fixed her with a deadpan.
"She's supposed to arrive today." Mittelt said, earning a glare from Raynare, to which the brat just smiled sheepishly, the tip of tongue poking out briefly.
Today, huh?
"Yes, today." Raynare's frown returned, face even more sour than before. I held back a grimace, lips drawing a thin line.
I really shat on her parade at the last moment possible, didn't I?
Well, they would've all died, but still, I could've been more diplomatic, or at least thought this through a little better—
"Are you getting somewhere with this?" Raynare asked sharply, and I gave her a tired look, pushing out a quiet breath through my nose.
She was being way more stubborn about this than I expected. I could understand why, but that didn't make it any less annoying.
"Yeah, there's something you need to know about that nun before you go back to fantasizing about her Twilight Healing."
A beat of silence passed as the Fallen trio stared at me in varying degrees of surprise before Mittelt sent a brief look to the other two.
"Yeah, he totally knows," she said, but Raynare didn't even seem to acknowledge her, too busy trying to burn a hole through my head with her eyes.
"What, another revelation?" Raynare said, tone dripping with sarcasm.
A quiet sigh escaped me. Stubborn woman…
"Tell me, fallen angel Raynare," I stood straighter in my seat, fixing the power hungry dumbass with a serious look. "Do you really want to gamble with your life?"
I expected her to flinch a little, but Raynare matched my pointed glare with one of her own, a brief, tense silence ensuing as neither of us backed down from our staring contest.
A moment later, her eyes narrowed. "And what's that supposed to mean?" There was a subtle edge in her tone, though I couldn't find it anything but cute. It might be false bravado, but it had its own charm.
"Do you know why the Church was so quick to throw their holy maiden out like a used napkin?"
Mittelt leaned forward in her seat, listening intently while Raynare crossed her arms with a sneer.
"She healed some Devil trash, and those Bible thumpers couldn't have such atrocious heresy taint the pristine image of their precious Church," she said, the sarcasm in her tone thick enough to cut with a knife.
Kinda made me a little curious about her backstory.
I smiled thinly. "Yes, but that Devil trash? He purposefully injured himself to set her up."
"Wait, what?" Mittelt spoke up, eyebrows raised and hands resting on her knees. "For real?"
"Mm-hmm."
"That sounds rather contrived." Kalawarna gave her two cents, watching impassively, though I noticed a curious gleam in her eyes.
"And dumb." Mittelt quickly added with a smirk.
"But, sadly, true."
A loud, dismissive scoff drew my attention back to Raynare. "And why does it matter here?"
"Because that Devil is from a Pillar family and has a thing for corrupting women of faith." I told her dryly. "His entire peerage is made up of mind-broken nuns, and he's likely waiting for the opportunity to snatch his newest toy up. If you killed her before that, well," a smile tugged at my lips. "Do you really want a Devil noble with a grudge on you?"
Pin-drop silence followed as three pairs of eyes went wide.
"Holy crap, did we get caught in the middle of a friggin' conspiracy?! I didn't sign up for this stuff. Does the Big Boss even kno—
"Shut up, Mittelt. This is serious." Raynare sent the jailbait a glare, before giving me her undivided attention. "Unless you're lying."
I met her skeptical look with a deadpan. "Do you really think I need to lie about anything?"
"He's got a point, tho." Mittelt sent her boss a glance, but Raynare simply ignored her this time, too busy trying to bore a hole through me with her eyes.
"And who's that Devil?"
"Diodora Astaroth."
Kalawarna gave a quiet hum. "I've heard some things about him." She shared a brief look with Raynare, shaking her head subtly.
Mouth tense, Raynare leveled another glare my way. "Why are you doing all of this?"
This shit again?
"Like I told you before. Just felt like it."
She didn't seem satisfied with my answer, but this was the best I could give her.
I was a simple man. All I wanted was to fight strong people, lay some pipe, and make cute girls smile.
"Anyway, that's how it is." I waved a hand lazily in her direction. "Play this smart and you have a good chance to come out on top by the end of it."
"Just a good chance? You want me to give that up for some nebulous promise of good fortune?"
"The alternative is most likely death, so…" I brought my hands in a half shrug, giving her a weak smile. "Your choice."
She scoffed, a sneer briefly curling her lips. "Not much of a choice," she spat out, and I held back a grimace.
Life as a small fry sure was harsh, and I wasn't really helping much either.
Maybe I should do something nice for her when I had the chance. She might be a first arc villain, but we were playing this round my way.
Frowning, Raynare caught the attention of the other two Fallen, turning around and gesturing with her chin as she made her way to the broken altar. Her minions quickly followed suit, the trio stopping a good distance away and quietly whispering among themselves.
I leaned back in my seat, stretching my legs a little as I caught a glance from Valerie.
"That Fallen seems rather stubborn."
A smile crossed my lips. It was a good thing if she was making small talk like this. Maybe the Grail hadn't affected her as much as I'd thought.
"It shouldn't take much longer. We'll look for a place to stay after we're done here."
"Are we visiting Gasper afterwards?"
"Let's get properly settled in first. You should also rest a little after last night. We can visit tomorrow or in two days."
I still haven't decided on how to approach the Devils. Showing up unannounced was always an option, but maybe I should think it through a little more this time.
"Alright." Valerie's gaze lingered on me a moment longer before it drifted idly to the tall windows at the side.
The sound of footfalls drew my attention as the Fallen made their way back, Raynare sparing me a brief glance, a strange gleam in her eyes as she walked past without a word, heading outside.
Yeah, I'd need a walk to clear my head, too, in her shoes, after such a rollercoaster of a talk.
Kalawarna took a seat on a nearby pew, lips quirked slightly as she crossed her legs. "Thank you for warning us."
"I take it she made the right call?"
"Well, she—
"Bitched about it, but she enjoys living, so she listened to reason."
Mittelt piped in with a smirk, earning a frown from her friend as she plopped herself next to tall, blue, and busty.
"I wouldn't have put it so crassly, but yes. She did."
Well, that was one problem solved. Hopefully, it would stay that way.
A beat of silence passed as Kalawarna sought my gaze, the same inviting smile on her glossy lips. "Though perhaps you could do something about that Devil?"
I barely suppressed a snort. These Fallen were shameless, weren't they?
"Not unless he starts shit with me first. I'm not causing an international incident just so Raynare can get a Twilight Healing."
Politics were nothing but a headache, and I'd rather keep my distance if I could.
Kalawarna didn't seem to agree, though. Her smile didn't waver as she subtly rolled her shoulders, pulling her burgundy jacket enough to expose another inch of alluring breast and a tiny hint of pink.
"I'm sure that she would be quite grateful if you did." Yeah, I wouldn't bet on that one chief. "We would all be very grateful."
Her smoky voice caressed my ears as she uncrossed her mile-long, shapely legs, parting them slowly, just enough to reveal a glimpse of the flimsy, dark purple fabric that clung tightly to her hidden slice of heaven.
I swallowed dryly, but, just as I tore my gaze away, Valerie's leg suddenly brushed my thigh, and I caught her sideways look, the faintest hint of a frown curling her lips.
Temptation warred a fierce battle within me, but I gripped that motherfucker with an iron grip and squashed it like a bug, flashing my cute vampire girl a small, reassuring smile.
Nah, not even Fallen angel pussy was worth that kind of headache. Not when I could probably cross that entry on my bucket list in a less complicated way.
"Sorry, but still no. That's not really my problem."
A tiny frown crossed Kalawarna's face, but she made no move to hide the temptation out of sight while Mittelt threw the busty woman a brief, amused glance.
I made an effort to keep my eyes from straying, forcing my gaze to the vixen's face as that flirty smile quickly returned to her lips. A somewhat awkward moment passed in silence as she idly toyed with a lock of hair, before opening her mouth to speak. "Then could you perhaps fetch the girl from the airport? She might be in danger after all."
Well, I could, just because she asked so politely, but…
"No thanks."
I wasn't Taxi service. Valerie was an exception.
Kalawarna's brow twitched, her smile dimming as she folded her hands atop her lap. "You killed Freed. He was supposed to get her."
Too bad, still not my problem.
"And? Can't one of you go grab her?"
"Not now. Raynare is busy, and Dohnaseek went out on a patrol before you showed up."
Ah, so that's where that guy was.
But what the fuck were they even patrolling for? To parade even more for the Devils?
I cocked an eyebrow at the busty Fallen. "And you?"
"I'm assisting Raynare with an important matter."
Yeah, totally.
I pointed a thumb lazily at the doors. "Your boss just went outside."
"She has something to take care of."
It better not be something stupid. I knew more than one type of fisting, and I wasn't afraid to use it.
"What about Mittelt?"
I spared the smiling midget a glance while tall, blue, and busty eyed her thoughtfully, but Mittelt quickly shook her head. "I'm busy, too."
Busy? She was just lazing around when I barged in earlier.
"Doing what?"
"Keeping watch."
Okay, that, I could believe. Maybe.
"As I said, we are busy." Kalawarna added, and I fixed her with an unimpressed look.
"Then why don't you send the exorcists hiding in the basement?"
An amused sound escaped Mittelt as she gave me a smirk, her fang poking out cutely. "And interrupt their competitive card games? No way."
My mouth twitched in mirth at her sarcasm. This midget seemed pretty fun.
"I don't trust them to handle her properly." Kalawarna said curtly, and I cocked an eyebrow.
"Not even if you send like ten of them?"
She seemed to consider it for a moment, but Mittelt chimed in before Kalawarna had the chance to answer. "Nope. Ten of those robed weirdos would stand out like a sore thumb, and still be totally useless against a high-class Devil."
That weak, huh?
Why were they even keeping those shmucks around? Cannon fodder?
"Essentially, yes," Kalawarna said, tone mild.
"Well, I'm busy, too." I crossed my arms, leveling a flat look at the two Fallen, daring them to object. "I need to find a place to stay."
Kalawarna frowned, but wisely did not argue any further.
"You're not staying here?" Mittelt spoke up, sounding a little disappointed as I stared at her for a quiet moment.
Did she seriously expect me to hang around this dump? I had money now.
"Abandoned churches aren't really my style, and my cute vampire companion needs much better living conditions." I flashed Valerie a smile, which she met with her usual deadpan.
"It doesn't have to be anything fancy," she said, tone just as flat, and my smile waned a bit as she kept staring at me with that impassive look. Her modesty was endearing, but, after everything she went through, she deserved a little pampering.
"We need a warm shower, a fridge, proper heating, and wi-fi."
Valerie gave a tiny nod, and I had to fight down the sudden urge to just reach out and give her a headpat.
"Picky, aint'cha?" My attention went back to the blonde midget as she flashed me a smirk, and I gave her an unamused look.
"I have a bag full of gold and gems and other shiny shit." I pointed offhandedly at my loot. "I've been living in a barn for the past two years, and I'm finally done with that. I'm not staying at an abandoned church."
Kalawarna stared, brows climbing up a fraction. "You have the Grail and you've been living in a barn?"
Yeah, I didn't get the standard package isekai.
"I was busy with my training arc."
"Your training what?" Her face scrunched up in pained confusion, while the blonde jailbait huffed in amusement. She seemed like the only one who didn't overthink too much around here.
She should be fun to hang out with.
"Say," Mittelt spoke up, gaze trailing to the bags next to my feet. "Where'd you get all the shinies?"
"Loot." I told her simply.
"Loot?"
"I raided a castle."
Mittelt's attention shifted to Valerie, those vibrant, blue eyes studying her intently for a while, before her mouth opened in realization. "Ahh… it's starting to make sense now," she said, a flash of sympathy crossing her face.
I had no idea what just went through her head, but it was probably wrong.
"By the way," I stood up, lightly nudging the closest bag with a foot. "Think you could exchange some of this gold for me? I need some cash."
We were done here, and I wanted to find a place while there was still light outside.
"Leaving so soon?" The downcast look on Mittelt's face nearly had me reconsider, but I quickly shoved the temptation aside.
I could hang out with the jailbait another time. Right now, I had a cute vampire princess waiting on me.
I gestured with a hand at Valerie as she also stood up. "We have places to be."
"Of course." Kalawarna smiled as she rose to her feet. "I was actually thinking to offer you a decent sum for your advice." And here I was wondering when the ass-kissing would begin. "But are you certain I can't convince you to fetch the nun for us?"
Lips curling seductively, she languidly approached, an alluring sway to her hips, only to abruptly stop mid-step, just before she could have walked right into the Freed puddle.
I almost failed to hold in a chuckle as her face twisted in disgust, all the while Mittelt covered her mouth with a hand, looking one second away from bursting in laughter.
Fixing my shirt a little, I met Kalawarna's sour look with a smile, but just as I opened my mouth to answer, a sudden knock drew our attention to the entrance.
A beat of silence passed before Mittelt sprang to her feet, pointing at the doors in surprise. "Okay, who the heck is it this time?"
A couple, more tentative knocks followed, and the two Fallen shared a look before Kalawarna arched a thin brow in my direction.
I shrugged. "I got nothing to do with this one. I only have Valerie with me."
"We're not expecting anyone either." Kalawarna said, her posture subtly tensing.
Mittelt glanced the doors warily, nibbling at her lip for a moment, before her eyes suddenly went wide: "Crap, is it the Devils?!"
I seriously doubted that. Unless I accidentally fucked up the timeline without even noticing.
Kalawarna threw another look at the doors, seemingly weighing her options, before regarding me with a plastic smile. "Can you go see who it is?"
Bruh.
"I seriously doubt they're looking for me."
"You're the least likely to get killed out of us," she said bluntly, the artificial smile still affixed to her face.
My mouth drew a thin line. Did I scare them that much?
I spared the entrance a brief glance before shrugging. This was probably something stupid, but someone had to check it out. And, on the small chance that shit somehow hit the fan, I was the only one who could buy enough time for Valerie to run.
"Fair enough," I told Kalawarna, before sharing a look with Valerie.
"If it's an enemy, just turn into bats and run. I'll take care of them."
I could see a flicker of hesitation in her eyes, though it seemed to vanish as I gave her a small, reassuring smile. A moment later, she nodded slightly.
"Confident, aint'cha?" Mittelt spoke up with a smirk, but it looked a little stilted, and even her normally cheerful tone sounded a little forced.
I didn't bother answering and just made my way quietly to the entrance.
Muscles tensing in anticipation, I slowly opened the doors, only to blink owlishly as I came face to face with a blonde, puppy-eyed nun carrying a suitcase.
"Buongiorno, signore. Mi chiamo Asia Argento. Posso entrare, per favore?" ("Hello, sir. My name is Asia Argento. May I come in, please?")
Shoulders slumping with a quiet sigh, I stepped aside and gestured politely for Asia to come in. Barely a moment after she walked past me, peals of high-pitched laughter filled the church.
Well, this worked, too, I guess.
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